Senior Political Reporter
“Ghost rentals,” an absence of property leases and no Cabinet approval of leases are cited in the Auditor General’s Report on T&T’s accounts for 2024, when almost half a billion dollars was spent by the People’s National Movement government on property rentals and leases, says Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
“You talk about ‘ghost rentals, ghost landlords, ghost leases, ghost cabinet approval ... it was a free-for-all, a feeding frenzy of epic proportions at taxpayers’ expense facilitated by the PNM government,” Persad-Bissessar declared in Parliament yesterday.
The Prime Minister detailed excerpts of the Auditor General’s report on T&T’s 2024 accounts after it was laid in Parliament yesterday.
Among the report’s contents, it was found that Government expenditure of over $1.5 billion during 2024 couldn’t be verified by the Auditor General due to issues with information.
On rental/leases, Persad-Bissessar said rent paid over 2024 for properties leased by government was $493.3 million.
However, the audit could not verify the accuracy of this figure for the following reasons:
• The Public Administration Ministry’s Master List showed 237 properties were rented by government, of which 212 were without current leases. Most leases had expired for over a decade.
• Rent paid by the ministries/departments did not agree with figures seen on the Master List.
• There were huge differences between what was paid by ministries and departments and what should have been paid according to the Master List.
• A variance of total rent paid by ministries and departments of $208.4m remains unexplained.
• Some properties rented by government, and for which rent was paid by ministries/departments, were not shown on the Master List, raising concerns of accuracy and completeness of that list.
• Current status of 90 per cent of the rentals shown on the Master List read “Three-year lease has since expired. Currently on monthly tenancy.” Ninety per cent of these leases had expired for over a decade and rent paid differed significantly from what’s shown on the Master List.
• Total rent paid as shown on the Appropriation accounts of ministries/departments of $493.3m could not be verified as rent amounts paid were not supported by documentation.
• Discrepancies over $10m in rent paid in respect of the Appropriation accounts of five ministries/departments for the year when compared with the rent on the Master List.
• There were 110 properties occupied by ministries/departments without current leases where more than $5m a year in rent was paid.
• The Master List showed two companies were paid over $15m annually for three properties each rented by the government, without current leases or cabinet approval.
Persad-Bissessar detailed discrepancies found where rent paid listed on the Appropriation Accounts didn’t match the sums on the Master List:
Judiciary — Rent paid $30m plus (on the Appropriation account), Rent paid on the Master List ($8.9m)
Finance Ministry — Rent paid $38.6m (on the Appropriation account), Rent on the Master Lost ($13.7m)
Health — Rent paid $49.3m (on Appropriation account), $1.4m (on Master List)
Foreign Affairs Ministry — $13.1m (on Appropriation account); $2.4m (on Master List)
TTPS — Rent paid $51.9m (on Appropriation account), $459,000 (on Master List)
“Were these ghost rentals?” Persad- Bissessar asked.
Licks for Faris ...
Persad-Bissessar detailed the location of properties without current leases where more than $5m annually in rent was paid:
• Planning Ministry’s CSO division at 47 Frederick Street PoS ($30m).
• Social Development Ministry at St Vincent Street PoS (about $9.8m).
• Trade Ministry, Independence Square PoS ($7.6m).
• Housing Ministry, South Quay (over $6m).
• Attorney General’s Office, Henry Street, PoS (5.8m).
• Labour Ministry, Duke Street (5.1m).
• Service Commissions, 59 Cipriani Boulevard PoS, ($6.9m).
• Finance Ministry Valuation Division, Estate Trace, Barataria ($6.9m), Public Utilities Ministry, 1 Alexandra Street, PoS ($8.1m)
• Personnel Department, 3, Alexandra Street PoS ($7.7m).
Persad-Bissessar remarked on the latter, “We all know where that Al Rental went to, sitting in Cabinet and recusing himself, and brought back as a PNM senator—shame, shame!”
“The Master List provided by the Public Administration Ministry showed that two companies were each paid over $15 million annually for three properties each rented by government without any current lease—and without any cabinet approval. No lease! No cabinet approval!” she added.
One company involved a property at Estate Trace Barataria ($6.9m rent paid), another at the corner of El Socorro Road/Jattan Lane ($4.5m lease expired in 2014) and one at 51-55 Frederick Street, PoS, ($3.6m).
The other company involved property at 1 Alexandra Street, PoS (rented for over $8m with lease expired in 2019), the corner of Agra/Patna Street, St James (rented for $4.8m, lease expired in 2017) and at 45 St Vincent Street, PoS, (rented for $2.1m, lease expired).
Persad-Bissessar said Al-Rawi recused himself from the Cabinet on March 2, 2017, for the Estate Trace, Barataria property.
“Everybody else gets 0 per cent or 4 per cent but you, sitting in Cabinet, helping your financiers, friends and family! Disgusting! Disgraceful! That’s why on April 28 you got the licking you deserved!’”
Imbert responds
Many of the property rentals done by the former government which Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar expressed concern over yesterday, were started by the United National Congress government in 2010/2015—and that included the Estate Trace, Barataria building for which the UNC Government paid $41 million without occupying it.
Stating this in Parliament yesterday, former Finance minister Colm Imbert asked if Persad-Bissessar was aware of it.
Imbert spoke after Persad-Bissessar’s statement revealing issues on property rentals and leases which were cited in the Auditor General’s Report on T&T’s 2024 accounts.
However, Persad-Bissessar advised Imbert to read the Auditor General’s Report.
“The answer is no,” she added.
Earlier, Persad-Bissessar had prefaced her presentation with verbal blows at Imbert, saying his public disagreement in 2024 with the Auditor General caused widespread disgust in the national community.
“The conduct of this one individual, whose legendary arrogance underscored the decade-long ego trip as T&T’s finance minister, has left us with some reputational damage to our public finance management,” Persad- Bissessar added.
“As a result, we’ve been unable to resolve the national accounts for two consecutive years, a very embarrassing state of affairs for any nation ... if there was more astute leadership from the Finance Minister the issues would have been expeditiously resolved,”
Demanding a public apology from Imbert, Persad-Bissessar added, “It is my hope that the PNM’s devastating loss at the polls has made him humbler and more penitent ... (his) decade-long tenure as finance minister is a masterclass in mistakes. A veritable smorgasbord of what not to do as finance minister.”